Media Matters has studied the network and cable news coverage of transgender issues for the first two months of this year.
Anyone want to guess what they discovered?
Network news spent 19 minutes and 19 seconds on transgender issues (ABC = 2:06, CBS 10:48, NBC = 6:25). ABC decided transgender issues were worthy of no more than one segment in that two month period. Almost half of the CBS coverage concerned the phenomenon on Amazon's Transparent.
The Cable news outlets, were marginally better, spending one hour, 58 minutes, and 57 seconds (CNN = 46:20, MSNBC = 61:20, FOX = 11:17)
Media Matters reports that nearly half of the MSNBC coverage occurred during Ronan Farrow Daily (in excess of 29 minutes), which was cancelled at the end of February.
What news coverage was provided focused on three "stories": the Bruce Jenner frenzy, Chelsea Manning and her battle to receive hormone therapy while in prison, the suicide of Leelah Alcorn.
82% of CNN's coverage concerned Bruce Jenner. Almost half of what Fox News coverage there was concerned a memo issued at the Graduate Center of CUNY suggesting that staff avoid using gendered salutations when corresponding with students.
The only appearance of discussion of transgender issues on Sunday news shows was on Melissa Harris-Perry (about the suicide of Leelah Alcorn).
Maybe there was just not much going on?
During the first two months of 2015, seven transgender women of color were murdered.
Trans and gender non-conforming communities of color are historically disproportionately impacted by violence and discrimination. There is an epidemic of brutal violence against trans women of color that is inextricably linked to the structural oppression we face every day. In 2013, there were 14 reported murders of trans women of color. In 2014, the same year that our nation celebrated the 45th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion, 12 trans women of color were brutally murdered in a 6-month time span. And in the first two months of this year, 7 (reported) trans women of color have been brutally murdered. The lack of national outrage reinforces a narrative that our lives are disposable. [Email exchange with Media Matters, 4/6/15]
--Loudes Ashley Hunter, Trans Women of Color Collective
The homicides of transgender women, and specifically transgender women of color, is an ongoing epidemic that has reached unprecedented levels with the seven homicides of transgender women of color in the first two months of 2015 alone. In just these two months NCAVP has documented more than half of the 12 homicides that were reported in all of 2014. While coverage of individual homicides has somewhat increased recently, it is time for the media to start connecting the dots and talking about the breadth and complexity of this violence. [Email exchange with Media Matters, 3/16/15]
--Osman Ahmed, National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs
In 2015 we are seeing an alarming epidemic of deadly violence against LGBTQ communities, and particularly against transgender women of color. We need more public awareness and respect campaigns, more people speaking out against this violence, and more protections, particularly for transgender people, from harassment and discrimination. This is an outrage, and we all have to commit as a nation to ending this violence.
--Chai Jindasurat, Co-Director of Community Organizing and Public Advocacy at the New York City Anti Violence Project
ABC, CBS, Fox, MSNBC, and NBC all have ignored the murder epidemic...and the epidemic of trans youth suicide we are experiencing )there have been at least seven trans youth commit suicide so far this year (< href = "http://www.advocate.com/commentary/2015/03/17/op-ed-ignoring-trans-suicide-not-responsible-reporting">
story. CNN's Don Lemon mentioned three of the murders during a segment on Bruce Jenner.
Transgender people are erased from existence every day. At our funerals, at our jobs, and in the media, the world proceeds as if we don’t exist.
I wish I could say this was uncommon or unexpected, but trans identities are seen as always less than, always secondary, are always expected to get out of the way for the expectations of friends and family.
--Greta Martela, Trans Lifeline
When they did do stories concerning transgender issues, only CNN and MSNBC made a point to invite transgender guest participants. Almost all of CNN's guests where white, while MSNBC had 50% people of color.
Telemundo and Univision spent a total of 8 minutes and 43 seconds on transgender issues over the two months. Neither mentioned the violence against transgender women of color. But both Spanish-language stations did include transgender guests: activist Maggie Sanchez during the February 9 edition of Noticiero Telemundo, activist Marichuy Leal Gamino during the January 28 edition of Univision's Edicion Nocturna, and an unnamed transgender woman during the February 10 edition of Noticiero Univision.
This lack of coverage has occurred during a period in which no fewer than six states have tried or are continuing to try to legislate which restrooms we may not use.